History features

Museum display

Millom Folk Museum is running an exciting project which focuses on the days when Millom was at the heart of iron ore mining from the 1800's up to the 1960's. The iron, shipping and rail industries in the Furness area employed most of the Millom residents at one time, although once the iron works were closed down in the mid 1960's, Millom became a very different place with mass unemployment.

Cottage display

However, the museum wants to keep those memories of a more prosperous Millom very much alive through their new project to collect personal memories of life at the ironworks, stories of everyday life in Millom and how families lived during those times.

Write to: Sharon Arrowsmith, Millom Folk Museum, Station Building, Station Road, Millom, LA18 5AA.

Gerald Barnes with pig lifter

Visitors to the BBC bus in Millom

Gerland Barnes and Arthur Watson visited the BBC bus in Millom with a 'pig lifter' that was made in the Millom ironworks as well as being used in the mines. They both used to work in the mines, and Gerald now works at Millom Folk Museum. Gerald gave us a colourful demonstration of how the pig lifter was used and chatted on air about life in the mines. We certainly did not feel inclined to disagree with a man holding a pig lifter on the BBC bus!!

Bob Mandale

Bob Mandale went to Barrow Art College in his youth and used to spend his entire summer holiday at Millom ironworks and the iron ore mines sketching. He told us it was a fantastic place to sketch, full of excitement and energy. All the pages in his sketchbook were filled with sinter as he used to watch the furnace being emptied when all the sparks would fly out. He had permission to be in the ironworks premises, but wasn't required to wear any protective clothing. The place was full of noise, but he didn't mind this as he chose to be there for his sketching as opposed to having to be there for work!